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Not Applicable
This invention relates to head worn illuminating devices, more specifically to illuminating spectacles utilizing light emitting diodes as the light source.
Presently existing electrically powered head worn illuminating devices are produced mainly in the form of headlamps. Less common is a design that successfully combines glasses and illumination as a single device.
Examples of light emitting diode-equipped glasses have been envisioned and manufactured but most designs are novelty devices and are not meant for illumination. U.S. Pat. No. 4,283,127 to Rosenwinkel et al (1981) discloses a pair of novelty flashing spectacles utilizing diodes mounted in the lens area. Another example of led-equipped glasses is U.S. Pat. No. 4,822,160 to Tsai (1989 containing a plurality of leds from left to right on the upper portion of the glasses. These glasses are designed to attract attention to the wearer by flashing and are not meant to provide area illumination.
Another type of head worn illuminating device comprises a dive mask with a plurality of lamps mounted along the top of the mask. U.S. Pat. No. 5,224,772 to Fustos (1993) discloses this design where a plurality of lamps on the top of the mask are flush mounted in an enclosure. A drawback to this design is shadowing of a portion of illuminated areas. This is caused by placement of the lights above the plane of the wearer""s eyes. Obviously, the intended use is specific to underwater illumination, not general use.
Single and multiple point light source designs utilizing a filament bulb or bulbs are present. Drawbacks to this type of design can include high power consumption, poor color comprehension, and need for a reflector to focus the light into a useful beam. High power consumption is a disadvantage when the power source is limited as is the case when using batteries. The low efficiency of this type of system can result in short operational duration and can become costly due to need for frequent battery replacement. The light produced by these filament type bulbs is not a balanced white light and may not provide accurate color comprehension. Reflector assemblies and bulb sockets appear to be common components of designs employing filament bulbs and can add to the complexity, weight, and expense of designs of this type. U.S. Pat. No. 4,959,760 to Wu (1990) discloses use of an assembly fitted with a filament type bulb and made to attach to one earpiece of a pair of glasses. This design has the drawback of the light source emanating from only one point, the device mounted to the left only or right only extent of the glasses and can cause shadowing of viewed objects. The type of illuminating device used is a filament type bulb. This system shares the drawbacks of a filament bulb system. Additionally, modification of glasses is necessary in order to mount the assembly.
A design combining light emitting diodes and goggles is shown in U.S. Patent Application Publication US2001/0021108A1 for Shimada et al. (2001). FIGS. 9 and 10 of the application publication depict a set of goggles with 2 light emitting diode panels located behind the lens, each mounted in the left and right extent of the goggle frame. In use, the panels will be in very close proximity to the wearer""s face. This creates an opportunity for injury to the wearer if the goggles are struck or otherwise forced towards the wearer""s face. The rigidity of circuit boards mounted in or on the goggles may alter the flexibility built into the goggles. Under extreme impact, the circuit board may shatter and cause considerable injury to the wearer. Another shortfall in this design is risk caused from using uncovered and electrically unshielded circuit boards. If used in close proximity to ignitable vapors, a spark resulting from a shorted connection on the board could initiate a fire or explosion. Additionally, the led panels are quite large and may substantially interfere with or reduce forward vision and the apparent lack of light shielding around the led panels may allow a large amount of the emitted light to reflect back into the wearer""s eyes. In actual use, this design could reduce the quality of vision, when compared to using unlighted goggles.
A design combining glasses and lamps as a single device is shown in RE""PUBLIQUE FRANCAISE patent 2 601 149 to Jean Jacques Koubi (1985). This design uses two filament type lamps, 1 located at each the left and right extent of the frames. For reasonably effective duration of operation, the low efficiency of the filament lamps may require a substantial power supply. Furthermore, the electrical conducting assembly (the subject of the patent) is exposed at the point where the frames meet the lens assembly and this type of design can create an exposed electrical arc, a definite hazard when used in areas containing ignitable vapors.
Briefly mentioned above is a difficulty in designing head worn lighting devices that becomes apparent when the device is used for certain tasks. This difficulty, a problem for designers of lighted headwear, is the shading of some areas the illuminating device is supposed to illuminate. Any single-point light source can cause shading if the light source is on a different plane than the viewer""s eyes. Only true ambient light eliminates shading. However, it is possible to overcome this problem when designing head worn lighting by placing a plurality of forward emanating light sources to the left and right, and above and below the eyes of the viewer. This positioning provides light on all planes and sides of the object viewed and mimics, for the viewer, ambient light.
xe2x80x9cAnother design combining glasses and lamps is disclosed by Jordan in U.S. Pat. Des. No. 428,431 (2000). This design shows an eyeglass frame with four lamps mounted in the top portion of the frame. The electrical wiring is permanently embedded within the frame and it appears that the lamps are also permanently embedded within the frame. As discussed above, a shortcoming of this design is the potential of shading caused by placement of the lamps in a plane above the user""s eyes. Also, from the apparent small size of the battery compartment, it appears that the glasses are not meant for long-duration operation. Due to the apparent small battery size, frequent battery replacement could become a costly drawback in actual use of this design.xe2x80x9d
Designs of head worn lighting devices will always cause some shadowing of the viewed object if lighting from a single point, or even multiple points if the light sources do not xe2x80x98surroundxe2x80x99 the eyes of the viewer (above and below, and to the left and right). The closer the object being viewed is to the eyes, the more pronounced the shadowing will be. For certain types of close viewing, tasks such as stitching wounds, small parts fabrication, measurement and layout of small parts, watch and jewelry repair, sewing, etc. . . . can be more difficult to perform and reduce the accuracy of the task being done when this shading is present.
xe2x80x9cFIGS. 2-6 of U.S. patent application publications US2003/0086053 and US2003/0206269 of Waters (2003) disclose another design where two compartments, one attached beyond the left extent, and one attached beyond the right extent of the glasses; each compartment having a diode mounted approximately at the center (elevation) of the glasses. Disadvantages of this design include: the xe2x80x98planexe2x80x99 of illumination does not surround the users eyes and is in balance only when user""s pupils are aligned with the diodes in reference to an object being viewed. Normal eye movement causing the pupils to move below or above this alignment, or xe2x80x98planexe2x80x99, create a shading potential. Insignificant when viewing flat surfaces; but becoming a potentially significant negative factor when viewing three-dimensional surfaces such as found in the above-mentioned examples. The compartments individually contain two disc shaped batteries, a switch and the circuitry to connect the batteries and switch to the light emitting diode; shaped very similar to presently available xe2x80x98key chainxe2x80x99 LED lights. Illumination is from the left and right planes only, and top/bottom shadowing reducing accuracy of tasks being done can occur. There are no sealing devices shown where the diodes and the switches protrude from the compartments, or between the compartments and their screw-attached covers. With no provision for inhibiting liquids and gasses from making contact with the electrical components and connections, the compartments are not airtight and can be an ignition source for flammable and explosive liquids and gasses. There is no provision other than the batteries for providing power to the light emitting diodes; cost of replacement batteries could become a negative factor if used frequently. The compartments project outward from the exterior of the glasses, increasing the potential of physical interference. If a user were to fall or be struck in such a way that the compartment were forced into the user""s head, the compartment and mounting devices of the compartment can increase risk of injury to user by magnifying and concentrating the force of the impact.xe2x80x9d
Japanese patent JP9017204 to Isobe Hitoshi (1997) discloses a led illumination system comprising an assembly that attaches to the earpieces of eyeglasses. This device consists of two assemblies, one attaching to the left extent and one attaching to the right extent of the frames. Each assembly contains one forward illuminating led. The disadvantage of this design is the placement of the leds. The leds are mounted above the plane of the eyes of the wearer and may cause shadowing.
Another design combining glasses and lamps as a single device is shown in U.S. Pat. Des. No. 349,123 to Cooley et al. (1994). This design uses 2 filament type lamps, with each lamp located at the left and right extent of the frames and on a plane above the wearer""s eyes. The drawbacks of a filament bulb system apply to this design. Additionally, the lamp placement is in a plane above the eyes and shadowing can occur.
Other designs that place one lamp each at the left and right extent of the frames include U.S. Pat. No. 5,230,558 to Jong (1993) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,722,762 to Soll (1998). Both of these designs have spectacle-like frames containing the illuminating devices. Both designs may require the use of reflectors in order to generate a concentrated beam of light. Both designs do not contain a lens to protect the eyes and are meant for illumination only.
Several objects and advantages of the present invention are:
(a) to provide illuminating safety glasses using a plurality of light emitting diodes as the light source;
(b) to provide illuminating safety glasses, increasing accuracy and reducing difficulty of certain tasks by eliminating shaded areas, this done by positioning on the device light emitting diodes beyond either extents and above and below of the eyes of the wearer;
(c) to provide illuminating safety glasses in which the light emitting diodes are not mounted on circuit boards, but rather the light emitting diodes are encased in a flexible material along with their interconnecting electrical connections and electrical connectors in order to produce a simpler and flexible one piece array;
(d) to provide illuminating safety glasses in which the light emitting diode array is electrically shielded, inhibits liquids and gasses from electrical connections, and is capable of absorbing physical shock;
(e) to provide illuminating safety glasses in which the light emitting diode array is formed in such a manner as to require a minimum of mounting devices for attachment;
(f) to provide illuminating safety glasses in which the array assemblies may be powered by conventional or rechargeable batteries contained within one or both earpieces;
(g) to provide illuminating safety glasses that, when fitted with earpieces containing batteries, the earpieces are electrically shielded, inhibit liquids and gasses from their interior, and absorb physical shock;
(h) to provide illuminating safety glasses that, when fitted with earpieces containing batteries, may be stored and recharged through use of a cradle recharging device or recharged through use of any suitable recharging device;
(i) to provide illuminating safety glasses that, when not fitted with powered earpieces, may be powered through use of a battery pack containing conventional or rechargeable batteries;
(j) to provide illuminating safety glasses that are electrically controllable by circuitry contained within the power source assembly(s).
Further objects and advantages are to provide illuminating safety glasses which can replace conventional lighting devices in situations where it is advantageous, necessary, or safest to use both hands for the task. Still further objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the ensuing description and drawings.
In accordance with the present invention, my illuminating safety glasses comprises a lens, a light emitting diode array, frame, earpieces, an electrical control apparatus and a power source.